What’s Eating Gilbert
Dear God 7”, Thinkin’ Bout Her 7”, What I’d Do 7”
Epitaph Records (2010)
RIYL: Fountains of Wayne, Buddy Holly, Exploding Hearts
Score: 9/10
Last year, Chad Gilbert, best known as the guitarist for Florida pop-punkers New Found Glory and as former vocalist of hardcore act Shai Hulud, began releasing songs of a more personal nature on his blog under the name What’s Eating Gilbert. Just from that description, I’m sure a lot of you have already made up your minds on whether you’re going to rush out and find the tracks or avoid them like the plague, but it would do you well to go in with an open mind. What’s Eating Gilbert came as quite a surprise to me and it showcases emotionally bare songwriting backed by some of the catchiest power-pop I’ve heard in a long time.
For this project, Gilbert abandons his familiar shout for a softer, melodic voice that is reminiscent of Midtown’s Gabe Saporta and Millencolin’s Nikola Sarcevic. This style of singing is perfectly suited for ballads like I Wanna Hold You, a choir of “ba ba ba”s backing sappily sweet but very cute lyrics like “If I had met you back before cell phones were made I would write you a letter for every hour throughout the day and I would mail you a roll of quarters for the pay phone. I’d do whatever it took to make sure you never felt alone.” His voice also sounds great on the more upbeat tracks, such as the country-esq What I’d Do, an ode to Gilbert’s father, who is described as a strict, but fair man whose rearing style ultimately led to Gilbert’s discovery of music, a “guitar fit like a sword in the stone.” The song plays like a Lucero song if Lucero’s Ben Nichols grew up worshipping Buddy Holly instead of The Boss.
As good as the ballads and midtempo numbers are, What’s Eating Gilbert is at their best when they fully embrace the danceability and pure sugary pop goodness of their music. Bars on the Weekend does just that while still retaining weight in the lyrics. While the music is bouncy and fun, the lyrics deal with an ex’s alcohol abuse, Gilbert realizing she only wants to talk to him when she’s been drinking and lamenting that she won’t “wait! And talk to me sober.” Thinking Bout Her is another standout, with a riff that sounds like it could have been plucked straight from That Thing You Do. The fun 50s beat masks the frustration present in Gilbert’s lyrics, which were partially inspired by issues that led to the dissolution of his brief marriage to Eisley’s Sherri DuPree. While some may argue that the lyrics are a bit too harsh (“Not in a fun sort of flirty sort of way. More a disgusted sort of bitchy sort of way”), Gilbert is clearly trying to be as honest as possible when telling just his side of a painful story and it’s hard to fault him too much for that honesty.
The only non-original track in the bunch is One Life, One Chance, a stripped down cover of the H2O anthem of positivity. Gilbert is a longtime friend and fan of H2O, and he does the band justice here. While not as energetic as the original, the slower tempo accents the positive lyrics of Toby Morse, lyrics that can’t help but put a smile on your face.
These 7”s comprise the entirety of What’s Eating Gilbert’s recorded output so far, and with New Found Glory gearing up for the extensive Pop Punk’s Not Dead tour and Gilbert’s producing career running steady, it’s up in the air if more will be recorded. Demand was strong enough to turn these songs originally offered as free downloads into full-fledged releases, so hopefully demand for these 7”s will lead Gilbert to putting out more songs, and hopefully a full length. Until then, you can download some of the tracks on Gilbert’s blog and purchase all three 7”s in the series from Epitaph Records.
-Emily Matview
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